Biometric devices record fingerprints, faces, voices, irises, retinas, signatures and other physical attributes. The recorded attributes may be compared to reference data for authentication or identification purposes.
Biometric authentication involves comparing a recorded attribute to the reference data of a person who has already been identified. That person may have been identified by a smart card, a password, or some other piece of information. If the recorded attribute matches the reference data, the identify of the person is verified.
The uses for biometric authentication are quite varied. Biometric authentication devices may be used to verify attendance in the work place, control physical access to restricted areas, and verify the identities of parties to transactions.
Biometric authentication addresses the ever-increasing need for security on government and corporate networks, the Internet and public facilities. Biometric authentication offers advantages over conventional security measures such as passwords. Unlike passwords, biometric attributes are not easy to forget, and they are very difficult to duplicate.
Biometric identification involves comparing a recorded attribute to reference data for different people. If the recorded attribute matches the reference data of one of the people, a positive identification is made. Biometric identification devices can be used to pick out faces in crowds, control access to restricted areas, etc.
Many commercial biometric devices for performing face, iris, retinal and fingerprint scans are large, complicated and expensive.
A small compact, inexpensive, lightweight device would be highly desirable.